Roof for railway cars



Aug. 21, 192s.

1,681,813 A. E. SMALL ROOF FOR RAILWAY CARS Fud Sept. 10, 1927 2 3 lavel'zior j grifiurfiuskuzll 94 y; 9- 9' fl/loryie) Patented Aug. 21, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR E. SMALL, OF CHICAGO, IL

NEW KENSINGTON, PENNSYLV This invention relates to LINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO I. H. MURPHY COMPANY, OF

ANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

ROOF FOR RAILWAY CARS.

Application filed September 10, 1927. Serial No. 218,733.

railway freight car roofs, and more particularly to the all metal type of roof wherein a plurality of relatively thick roof sheets span the distance between the opposite side walls of the car and are so formed and arranged as to not only act as a roof in protecting the lading from the weather but also to perform the functions of the usual carlines,

ridge pole and purlins which, in the ordinary car, constitute the roof framing.

A railway car in motion weaves and rocks and the rectangular frame composed of the side plates and end plates becomes distorted into a parallelogram; the cars also twist on their longitudinal axis setting up torslonal strains and the roof sheets tend to slide past each other at fore, the seams between of ad acent roof sheets their adjoining edges. Therethe ad oining edges must be well secured to each other or made flexible so that they will not tear and cause a leaky roof.

The object of my device is to provide integral depressions or corrugations in a metallic plate when used as a roof for a railway car which transmit any stresses imposed thereon to the ther object is opposite side plates of the car, with the end plates, form for the roof. And a furto so form and shape such embossments or corrugations as to impart rigidity to the plate adjacent the center line of the car and to impart resiliency bility to the p the car. Such corrugations and flexithe side plates of late adjacent also restrict the buckling of the plates when acting as gussets to prevent plates) from the roof framing (side and end getting out of square.

The roof sheets are made higher adjacent the center line of the car so as to form a watershed and also to form an arch or cambered beam to transmit any load imposed upon them to car. It is whether this the opposite side plates of the immaterial to my invention watershed or arch 1S given to the sheets by forming them on a curve (arouate) or a series of flat planes (apexed) I have used the term arch herein to define either structure or any similar structure thereto.

Besides the weaving and racking stresses to which a car roof is sub ected, it must also sustain the ve rtical loads of snow, slush and rain as well. as the weight of men on the running boards.

lines 33; H and 5-5, respectively of Fig. 1.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are modifications of Figs.

3, l and 5 respectively.

Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive show the preferred form of roof wherein the roof plate 30 is provided with a plurality of major corrugations 31 with flat apices 36 which are spaced apart distances substantially equal to their respective widths and the portions 33 of the plate between the major corrugations are also flat so that the configuration (see Fig. is symmetrical in cross section about a line midway between the outermost portions of these major corrugations, which line is the neutral axis of the section. Such a section is very strong on account of the amount of metal positioned away from the neutral axis and is also relatively rigid. These major corrugations 31 are preferably widest and deepest adjacent their middle portion and decrease in width toward their opposite ends, and the apices change from a flat to an arcuate configuration. The metallic plate is also provided with a plurality of pairs of aligned minor corrugations 32 which lie between adjacent major corrugations 31 with their inner ends preferably terminating into the plate adjacent each other and with their outer ends terminating into the plate in line with the outer ends of the major corrugations.

The outer ends of the minor corrugations 32 have arcuate apices and the portions of the plate between these outer ends of the minor corrugations and the outer ends of the major corrugations are also arcuate so that they form a cross section of sinuous configuration, and, furthermore, the outer ends of the minor and major corrugations are of the same width and spaced apart distances equal to their respective widths so that they form a contiguous sinuous configuration (see Fig. 5)

symmetrical in cross section about a line midrugations which decrease in land minor and major corrugations merge into the plane of the plate by means of terminal portions at; of any desired formation. By such an arrai'igementa car root is provided which is relatively rigid adjacent the center line of the car and relatively resilient adjacent the side plates of the car.

Figs. 3, l and 5 show a construction where in the apices of the major corrugations and also the portion ot the sheet between these major corrugations are both flat, and Figs. 6, 7 and 8 show a modified form wherein the apices of the major corrugations and also the portion oi the sheet between major corrugations are both arcuate in reverse directions.

By thus forming a. metallic plate I provide a plurality of corrugations or beams which cooperate to form a very rigid structure adjacent the middle of the plate capable of absorbing considerable stress without much deflection and which also form a resilient structure adjacent the sides of the corrugations so that when the plate deflects under extreme load it rebounds or returns to its normal position withoutappreciable permanent distortion.

In my application Serial No. 595,63 filed @ctober 19, 1922, I have disclosed and claimed broadly the particular formation or the metallic plate and specifically the use of such a structure as a wall for a railway car.

The accompanying drawings illustrate-the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof within the scope of the claims will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim 1. A roof sheet for a railway ear, comprising one or a plurality of members to form the roof consisting of substantially an arch between the opposite side plates of the car, said sheet provided with a plurality of major corwidth toward their opposite ends, said sheet also provided with a plurality of minor corrugations lying between said major corrugations which increase in width toward their outer ends until the major and minor corrugations terminate into the sheet adjacent the opposite side plates of the car.

2. A roof sheet for a railway car comprising one of a plurality of members to form the roof consisting of substantially an arch between the opposite side plates of the car, said sheet provided with a plurality of major corrugations which decrease in width and in depth toward their opposite ends, said sheet also provided with a plurality of minor corrugations lying between said major corrugations which increase in width and in depth toward their outer ends until the major and minor corrugations terminate into the sheet sheet provided with adjacent the opposite side plates of the car.

A root sheet for a railway car, comprising one of a plurality or members to form the root consisting of substantially an arch between the opposite side plates of the car, said sheet provided with a plurality of major corrugations spaced apart distances substantiah ly equal to their width which decrease in width toward their opposite ends, said sheet also provided with a plurality of minor corrugations lying between said major corruga tions which increase in width toward their outer ends until the major and minor corrugations a re also spaced apart distances equal to their width adjacent the opposite side plates ol' the *ar.

t. A root sheet for a railway car, comprising one of a plurality of ]1'1H1il)6l'$ to form the root consisting of substantially an arch be tween the opposite side plates of the car, said sheet provided with a plurality of major corrugations which decrease in depth toward their opposite ends, said sheet also provided with a plurality of minor corrugations lying between said major corrugations which increase in depth toward their outer ends adj acent the opposite side plates of the car, the length of the center line of the metal of a cross section of the major corrugations adjacent the middle of the sheet being the same as the length of the center line of the metal of a cross section of the major and minor corrugations adjacent the side plates of the car.

A roof sheet for a railway car, comprising one of a plurality 01 members to form the root consisting of substantially an arch be tween the opposite side plates of the car, said a plurality of major corrugations which decrease in depth toward their opposite ends, said sheet also provided with a plurality or minor corrugations lying between said major corrugations which in crease in depth toward their outer ends, the lengths of the center lines or each cross section of the corrugated portion of the sheet being equal to each other.

ti. A roof sheet for a railway car, compris ing one of a plurality of members to form the root consistingot substantially an arch between the opposite side plates of the car, said sheet provided with a plurality of major corrugations which are relatively deep adjacent their middle portions which decrease in depth toward their opposite ends, said sheet also provide-cl with a plurality of minor corrugations lying between said major corrugations which increase in depth toward their outer ends until the major and minor corrugations term a plurality of relatively shallow corrugations adjacent the opposite side plates of the car so as to provide a relatively rigid structure adjacent the center of the car and a relatively resilient structure adjacent the opposite side plates of the car.

ARTHUR E. Si t ALL ill) 

